Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Children

Lord Adebowale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children aged 16 or 17 have presented to their local authority as homeless in (1) 2015–16, and (2) 2014–15, and how many of those were (a) assessed under the Housing Act 1996, and (b) assessed and then accommodated under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: One person without a home is one too many. That is why we have maintained and protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities through the local government finance settlement totalling £315 million by 2019/20. We have also increased central government funding to tackle homelessness to £139 million over the next four years.The causes of youth homelessness are highly complex and our priority is to ensure that young people at risk of homelessness get the support they need. That is why we have also invested in the development of a Positive Pathway framework to help local authorities and their partners support young people to remain in the family home (where it is safe to do so) through a collaborative and integrated approach, as well as identifying the relevant support services needed should they become homeless. This includes supported accommodation as a starting point for 16 and 17 year olds.Since 2002, 16 to 17 year olds have been classed as a priority need category and are owned a main homeless duty by their local authority. The number of 16 or 17 year olds who applied and were accepted as homeless was 580 in 2014-15, and 530 in 2015-16 (falling from 2,190 in 2009-10). All of these cases were dealt with under the homelessness provisions of Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996.We do not hold details on the age of applicants who reported to their local authority but were ineligible or not homeless.

Opencast Mining: Northumberland

Baroness Featherstone: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to call in the decision by Northumberland County Council to approve plans for an opencast coal mine at Highthorn in the light of recent government commitments to phase out the use of coal.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Members of the public and MPs have requested that this application is called in, and we are currently considering that request.

Trolleybuses: Leeds

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the planning inspector of the public inquiry into the Leeds New Generation Transport schemes visited any European city operating trolley bus systems to ascertain whether its system could be emulated in Leeds, and if not, why not.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: I can confirm that as part of the public inquiry into the Leeds New Generation Transport Scheme the Inspector did not visit any European city operating trolley bus systems to see if its system could be emulated in Leeds. The Inspector had regard to all the evidence put to the inquiry, this may have included information about other trolley bus schemes in the world, however the Inspector's remit was to look at the scheme for Leeds specifically put forward by the Applicant, having regard to the evidence submitted by all parties to the case.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Natural Gas

Baroness Featherstone: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether in negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU they plan to seek for the UK to be included in any EU regulations on the security of gas supply in times of crisis, as set out in the European Commission’s Proposal for a Regulation concerning measures to safeguard the security of gas supply and repealing Regulation (EU) No 994/2010.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: While the UK remains a member of the EU the existing rules apply and new legislation that applies to the UK will be implemented. It will be for the new Prime Minister to decide on our future relationship with the EU, including on matters of energy.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

European Council

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have been advised by the government of Ireland that it intends to represent the people of Scotland at meetings of the European Council.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government of Ireland has not advised Her Majesty’s Government that it intends to represent the people of Scotland at meetings of the European Council.The United Kingdom remains a member of the European Union until it leaves and as such will continue to represent the whole of the UK in the European Council.

Bahrain: Prisons

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conclusions they have drawn from the reports of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Bassiouni Commission on the solitary confinement, torture and ill-treatment of prisoners in Bahrain; and whether they plan to ask the International Committee of the Red Cross to inspect prison conditions in Jaw Central Prison, Al-Hawd Al-Jaf prison and all other prisons and places of detention, and to make recommendations.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government unreservedly condemns torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and it is a government priority to combat it wherever it occurs. We are aware that there have been allegations in Bahrain, and we raise concerns with the authorities. Our support to Bahrain’s reform programme focuses on strengthening independent oversight bodies such as the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman and the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission (PDRC) who provide oversight of police behaviour and detention standards. In May, the PDRC released an independent report which included testimonies of detainees and highlighted a number of key concerns in respect to prison conditions at Jau Prison. We welcome the transparent approach taken by the PDRC, and the Ministry of Interior’s commitment to implement all recommendations made in the report. We continue to call upon the Government of Bahrain to agree a visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

Russia: Sanctions

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action, if any, they plan to take in the light of the resolution of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus on 7 July calling for an end to the trade and economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU, and what their current policy is regarding those sanctions.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The EU remains united in its strategy of resolving the Ukraine crisis through diplomacy underpinned by robust sanctions pressure. The UK fully supports this policy and will continue to play a central role in calling for a firm response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. On 1 July the EU unanimously agreed to renew economic sanctions on Russia for a further six months, in line with the March European Council’s commitment that the duration of sanctions should be clearly linked to the full implementation of the Minsk agreements.

Department for International Development

St Helena: Transport

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Verma on 27 June (HL Deb, cols 1358–59), when they plan to provide a briefing to members on transport services to St Helena.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Baroness Verma offered a briefing for Peers from DFID officials. Arrangements are being made for such a breifing to take place after the summer recess

Department for Education

Degrees

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many institutions received degree-awarding powers in (1) England, and (2) the UK, between (a) 1986 and 2000, and (b) 2001 and 2015.

Lord Nash: As this is a devolved matter, we can only answer regarding the institutions that received degree awarding powers in England. These figures are based on the information available to us. (1a) Between 1986 and 2000 in England, 48 institutions were awarded degree awarding powers. At this time there was no distinction between taught and research degree awarding powers, and foundation degree awarding powers were not yet introduced.(1b) Between 2001 and 2015 in England, 42 institutions were awarded taught degree awarding powers and 4 institutions were awarded foundation degree awarding powers. 8 institutions also added research degree awarding powers to their pre-existing awards of taught degree awarding powers. 46 institutions in total were awarded degree awarding powers.

Universities

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many institutions received the title of university in (1) England, and (2) the UK, between (a) 1986 and 2000, and (b) 2001 and 2015.

Lord Nash: As this is a devolved matter, we can only answer regarding the institutions that received degree awarding powers in England. These figures are based on the information available to us. (1a) Between 1986 and 2000 in England, 33 institutions were awarded University Title. All of these were awarded to former polytechnics as a result of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992.(1b) Between 2001 and 2015 in England, 36 institutions were awarded University Title.

Special Educational Needs: Visual Impairment

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of funding for those units set up to provide assistance to children with visual impairments (1) in multi-academy trusts, (2) in individual schools, or (3) supported directly by local education authorities, on the education provided to those children.

Lord Nash: We commissioned the ISOS Partnership to research the use and impact of funding for special educational needs and disability, although they did not consider in detail the impact of funding on the education of children with visual impairments who receive assistance in special units. Their research report was published in July 2015.As set out in their school inspection handbook, Ofsted inspectors will consider and report on any differences between the progress and attainment of pupils in resource-based provision (such as specialist units for pupils with visual impairments) and those with similar starting points who are disabled or have special educational needs in the main school. Inspectors also consider the progress of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs in relation to the progress of all pupils nationally with similar starting points, and examine the impact of funded support for them on closing any gaps in progress and attainment.

Children: Homelessness

Lord Adebowale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children aged 16 or 17 have presented to their local authority as homeless, and how many of those were accommodated under the Children Act 1989, in (1) 2015–16, and (2) 2014–15.

Lord Nash: The Department for Education does not collect information on the number of children aged 16 or 17 who have presented to their local authority as homeless, or how many have been accommodated as a result of homelessness.

Academies: Sex and Relationship Education

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provisions they have in place to ensure that those studying in academies receive adequate sex and relationships education.

Lord Nash: The government believes that all children should have the opportunity to receive a high quality and appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE). SRE is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools, and many primary schools also teach it in an age-appropriate way. Academies do not have to teach SRE but many choose to do so as part of their statutory duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. When academies do teach SRE they are required through their funding agreement to have regard to the Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Education Guidance. The guidance makes clear that all SRE should be age-appropriate and helps young people to develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgments and behaviour.

Children: Day Care

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to enable those on apprenticeships to claim 30 hours of free childcare under the Childcare Act 2016.

Lord Nash: Parents on apprenticeships with three- and four-year-olds are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare under the Childcare Act 2016 in the same way as other working households. They will need to be earning the equivalent of 16 hours work per week at the apprentice national minimum wage rate. The national minimum wage rates are set out at the GOV.UK website. Apprentices will need to meet the other eligibility criteria in addition to the minimum earnings requirement in order to qualify. The key eligibility criteria are set out in a policy statement issued in December 2015, which is attached to this answer.We will set out the eligibility criteria in more detail in forthcoming regulations, and these will be subject to affirmative debates in both Houses.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Olympic Games: Brazil

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that the athletes who have been chosen to represent Great Britain at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are fully briefed about the dangers or otherwise of contracting the Zika virus.

Lord Ashton of Hyde: The UK Government, the National Travel Health Network and Centre and the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association have issued guidance and advice on Zika for those competing and attending the Rio Games. All organisations continue to review and update this guidance and the Government will take into account World Health Organisation guidelines should they be revised following their latest risk assessment. My department and the Department of Health recently convened an Olympic and Paralympic health advisory group including academic experts and cross-government representatives to support the British Olympic Association (BOA) and British Paralympic Association (BPA) in updating their guidance to athletes and staff travelling to Brazil for the Olympics. The Foreign Office will link this to their wider consular campaign ‘Stay ahead of the Games’.

Gaming Machines

Lord Smith of Hindhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in setting a date for the Triennial Review of gaming machine stakes and prizes.

Lord Ashton of Hyde: As previously stated in the House of Commons, Government is reviewing the situation and we hope to announce details of a review in due course.

Museums and Galleries: Fees and Charges

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to maintain their policy of universal free access to the UK's national museums and galleries.

Lord Ashton of Hyde: Yes. The Government recognises the benefits that free access to the national museums and galleries brings to the public and to the UK economy. The Spending Review 2015 committed to continued free access to the permanent collections of the national museums and galleries as part of a settlement that maintained funding in cash terms for museum and galleries over the Spending Review period. Museum policy is a devolved matter for their respective administrations although the National Museums of Wales and Scotland are also free of charge, as are the National Armed Forces museums sponsored by the Ministry of Defence.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits

Baroness Hollins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cumulative impact of housing benefit cuts, benefit caps and council tax on the health of benefit claimants, both those in work and unemployed, since 2008, taking into account the impact of debt on mental health and the need for women to receive a healthy diet before they conceive and while they are pregnant if they are to give birth to healthy babies.

Lord Freud: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 July 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Impact assessments published for welfare changes, for example those relating to the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016, are available on www.gov.uk. Published impact assessments not available on www.gov.uk may be available at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. We already have cumulative distributional analysis published by HMT that is the most comprehensive available covering not only the effects of direct cash transfers between households and government but also the effects of frontline public service provision. Our welfare reforms since 2010 are intended to incentivise work and make work pay. There is a strong evidence base showing that work is generally good for physical and mental health and wellbeing. We recognise that not everyone can work and therefore we provide financial assistance. The employment rate remains is at 74.4 per cent which is the highest since comparable records began. In addition the number and rate of workless households are both at a record low.

Lord Freud: Impact assessments published for welfare changes, for example those relating to the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016, are available on www.gov.uk. Published impact assessments not available on www.gov.uk may be available at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. We already have cumulative distributional analysis published by HMT that is the most comprehensive available covering not only the effects of direct cash transfers between households and government but also the effects of frontline public service provision. Our welfare reforms since 2010 are intended to incentivise work and make work pay. There is a strong evidence base showing that work is generally good for physical and mental health and wellbeing. We recognise that not everyone can work and therefore we provide financial assistance. The employment rate remains is at 74.4 per cent which is the highest since comparable records began. In addition the number and rate of workless households are both at a record low.

Pensions

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an estimate of the cost of their monetary policy on the solvency of pension schemes, and whether they plan to use the profit made from quantitative easing to strengthen the financial position of the Pension Protection Fund.

Lord Freud: The UK’s monetary policy framework gives operational responsibility for monetary policy to the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at the Bank of England. Decisions on setting monetary policy are for the judgement of the Monetary Policy Committee. The Government is sensitive to the fact that there will be those who gain and those who lose from any particular monetary policy decision. Such distributional effects typically balance out over the course of a policy cycle. Over the last six years low interest rates have helped households and businesses through challenging economic times. Furthermore, as the Bank of England has explained in its article entitled "The distributional effects of asset purchases" published in its 2012 Q3 Quarterly Bulletin: "Without the Bank's asset purchases, most people in the United Kingdom would have been worse off. Economic growth would have been lower. Unemployment would have been higher. Many more companies would have gone out of business. This would have had a significant detrimental impact on savers and pensioners along with every other group in our society." The Pension Protection Fund is financially sustainable and there are no plans to further strengthen it. The PPF 2015/16 annual report said that the Fund has over £22 billion assets under management and is 115 per cent funded.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Government Departments: Procurement

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage, by total value, of government departments’ procurement contracts for relevant construction projects meet or exceed the mandatory Government Buying Standard level in 2014–15; and why that data was not included in the Greening Government Commitments annual report for 2014–15.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Greening Government Commitments annual report for 2014-15 sets out the data reported by departments on the proportion of government procurement contracts in a number of key product groups which met or exceeded Government Buying Standards in that year. The information specifically on construction contracts is set out in Annex 2, procurement table 3 of the annual report. As with previous years’ annual reports, the available data is presented by department, rather than for the whole of government. It is not possible to provide a figure on the proportion which met or exceeded the Government Buying Standards for the whole of government, as not all departments were able to report complete information.It is the responsibility of each Department to put the Government Buying Standards into practice in its own procurement activity.

Home Office

Territorial Waters: Security

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 June (HL325), how government departments and agencies decide who should take executive action to prosecute a series of contacts of interest.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Each of the Government departments and agencies represented at the National Maritime Information Centre has a specific remit and depending on what the nature of the operational scenario in question is, the department or agency with the legislatively proscribed lead responsibility for investigating activity of that kind will take the necessary action. Other departments and agencies will provide support to the lead department or agency as required.

Police: Biometrics

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what legislation currently governs the retention of facial custody images.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: I apologise that I did not answer Parliamentary Question HL905 on 12th July. Due to administrative error this question was grouped with HL906 but only one answer was provided. The use and retention of facial custody images is governed by the Code of Practice on the Management of Police information (MOPI), guidance contained within the College of Policing’s Authorised Police Practice (APP) and the Data Protection Act 1998.

HM Treasury

Annuities

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering requiring the providers of pension annuities to increase the rate at which they calculate benefits.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Annuity rates are set by individual providers and can vary in line with market conditions. The amount of income an individual gets each year from an annuity depends on a variety of factors including how much they had in their pension pot when they bought the annuity, whether they are seeking a joint annuity, and their age, health and lifestyle. As a result of this government’s pensions reforms, individuals aged 55 and over with a defined contribution pension are now able to make their own choice about how to use their pension savings. The Government’s Pension Wise service provides free, impartial guidance to help people understand their options.

Bank Services: Muslims

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 12 July (HL883), which Muslim organisations affected by the withdrawal of banking services they continue "to work closely with…to better understand their experiences and encourage dialogue with the banking sector"; how that working closely manifests itself; and what is their assessment of the outcomes of that close working.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Ministers and officials have received representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals who have been affected by account closure. Officials have discussed the issue of access to banking with individual Muslim organisations as well as representative groups such as the Muslim Charities Forum and Bond. The Government remains concerned about the growth of de-risking and the implications it has for NGOs, economic growth, financial inclusion and financial stability. We recognise that this trend remains a global problem, and have taken concrete steps to address this. We put the issue on the G20 agenda in 2015 and, closer to home, we have encouraged the banking sector to produce new guidance to help those affected by de-risking to open a UK bank account, by setting out what information banks will require in order to comply with relevant regulation and the questions they will need to ask. We have encouraged those affected to consider using their bank’s formal complaint service or, if they believe they have been treated unfairly or unreasonably, to consider referring the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service. We have also encouraged those affected to use the Business Account Finder provided by MoneyFacts to locate an alternative account provider. In order to continue dialogue with the NGO community on these matters, a Government-NGO Working Group will shortly be convened to explore concerns and identify solutions on the impact of regulation and banking practices on NGO operations in fragile states. The group will examine the specific challenges faced in getting aid into hard-to-reach communities.

Bank Services

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 12 July (HL883), what steps they are taking with regard to the withdrawal of banking services to encourage banks to take a risk-based approach and to ensure that the measures they take are effective and proportionate; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which that encouragement has been effective.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The government engages regularly with the banking industry and those affected by de-risking in order to facilitate communication. The aim of this is to improve banks’ understanding of how affected sectors work and to improve affected sectors’ understanding of how they can best meet the banks’ requirements for providing services. This process has led to the British Bankers’ Association developing tailored ‘access to banking’ guidance for affected sectors. The government continues to work with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who recently published research into the withdrawal of banking services. The FCA are also working with the banking industry to lessen the damaging effects of de-risking without constraining banks’ commercial freedom. Internationally, the UK has been instrumental in making de-risking a priority for the G20 and the Financial Stability Board. The government is working with the Bank of England and the FCA on internationally agreed guidance to financial institutions that will clarify regulatory expectations, making their responsibilities clearer to allow a more risk-based approach and better appraisal of risks.

Tax Yields

Lord Inglewood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 8 June (HL258), whether that estimate of the effect of leaving the EU single market on total UK tax revenue still applies, and if not, whether they will provide updated figures.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The previous Written Answer in question (HL258), cited the estimated impacts of leaving the EU upon UK tax revenues as laid out in the Treasury’s analysis on both the long-term and immediate economic impact of EU membership and alternatives, published in April and May respectively. There have been no new estimates made for the impact on tax revenue since the EU referendum. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will produce an updated forecast for receipts revenues (Public Sector Current Receipts) at the Autumn Statement later this year.

Department for International Trade

UK Trade with EU

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what tariff levels UK exports of goods and services would be subject to if the UK traded under WTO regulations with the remaining 27 countries of the EU, listed by category.

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what tariffs would apply to imports to the UK from the 27 member states remaining in the EU if trade between the EU and the UK was conducted in accordance with WTO regulations, listed by category.

Lord Price: If the UK were to leave the EU without having negotiated a preferential trade deal, then under WTO rules neither the UK nor the EU could offer each other better market access than that offered to all other WTO members. The bound levels of access for goods and services into the EU under WTO rules are set out in the EU’s schedules of commitments and are publicly available on the WTO website. The bound levels of access for goods and services from the EU into the UK under WTO rules would be an issue for the government to consider in due course.

Overseas Trade

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the potential effects on investment of uncertainty around issues of future market access, whether they plan to commit to (1) extending bilaterally the duty- and quota-free access that the least developed countries have had to the UK market since 2001 once the UK’s exit from the EU is completed; (2) honouring the duty- and quota-free market access granted to Caribbean countries since 2008 until new bilateral trade agreements have been concluded; and (3) unilaterally extending the duty- and quota-free access granted to sub-Saharan countries under the transitional arrangements established since 2008 until new bilateral trade agreements have been concluded.

Lord Price: While the UK is still a member of the EU, all rights and obligations will apply. There will be no initial change in the way we trade with developing countries. The new Department for International Trade will work with the Department for International Development on the structure and access to the UK’s markets to be offered to developing countries. This will reflect the UK’s longstanding support for Least Developed Countries and other developing country trading partners including through preferential trade agreements. This recognises that trade can be an effective way of growing economies and reducing poverty internationally.

Trade Agreements

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to establish a scheme to retrain as trade negotiators people with experience of high level intergovernmental and global institutional practice.

Lord Price: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has created the Department for International Trade, which is responsible for promoting British trade across the world and ensuring the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. We are building up our trade policy capability. ​The Department has begun a process to recruit and train staff to work on the UK’s trade policy. We will adapt the resource devoted to trade policy in line with future demands.

Department of Health

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has made of research published in Nature regarding mitochondrial and nuclear DNA matching shapes metabolism and healthy ageing; and how that assessment relates to the recommendations contained within guidance note 33.23 on the HFEA website.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The noble Lord appears to be referring to the recent work by Latorre-Pellicer et al (2016). The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that this research will be considered by the reconvened Expert Panel which will assess the safety and efficacy of mitochondrial donation techniques more widely. The guidance referred to by the noble Lord refers to haplotype matching in the provision of mitochondrial donation treatment. At present, no clinics in the United Kingdom are licenced to provide such treatment. The HFEA has further advised that the research published in Nature is consistent with that guidance. The HFEA will continue to advise clinics to keep themselves up to date with the scientific research in this area.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Public Health, Jane Ellison, on 1 June (HC38011 and HC38012), which members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s (HFEA) Executive who provided administrative support to the work of the expert panel convened by the Authority might have in turn passed on any unredacted information that was provided in confidence to the expert panel to non-members; and whether each of the individuals concerned continue to be employed by the HFEA in a similar capacity.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) convened Expert Panel is comprised of scientific experts in the relevant fields and supported by a small team of Authority staff. The HFEA has advised that in order for the Panel to carry out its work it is essential for members of the Panel and Authority staff to be able to exchange information.It is entirely proper that all involved in reviewing the information have access to all the relevant documentation. All HFEA staff who were involved in supporting the Expert Panel continue to work for the Authority and have the full confidence of the Chair and the Chief Executive Officer.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Public Health, Jane Ellison, on 1 June (HC38011 and HC38012), why the content of the personal email exchange between Professor Grifo and a member of the expert panel had to be provided in confidence to the expert panel convened by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority if wider disclosure of such unredacted information would not breach patient confidentiality; and why the relevant information in question was not sought from Professor Grifo until sometime after the third Scientific Review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease in 2014.

Lord Prior of Brampton: As the noble Lord is aware, the email exchange between Professor Grifo and the Expert Panel member was private and provided in confidence. That email will not, therefore, be made public. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that the information in question was not sought in the previous reviews because the abstract published by Professor Grifo was not submitted to the Authority as part of any formal calls for evidence.

Doctors: Working Hours

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to issue instructions to NHS Trusts to draw up doctors' schedules that ignore the EU Working Time Directive.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government has no plans to issue instructions to ignore the Working Time Directive (WTD). There will be no immediate changes to our relationship with the European Union. We remain a part of the EU until negotiations are concluded, which could take up two years or more if agreement isn’t reached. While the United Kingdom remains a member of the EU, we must meet our obligations as a member of the EU, including the WTD. It is the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts to ensure service rotas are compliant with the WTD.

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had about patients' access to rare cancer medicines that have received a marketing authorisation after the closure of the old Cancer Drugs Fund list and before the launch of the new Cancer Drugs Fund on 29 July, but that have not yet been approved by NICE.

Lord Prior of Brampton: All cancer drugs licensed since July 2015, but unable to undergo assessment by the Cancer Drug Fund (CDF) in 2015-16 on account of its closure to new drugs, have been incorporated into the technology appraisal work programme of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. In addition, NHS England has advised that for all of the indications covered by these newly licensed cancer drugs, there already exist treatment options for patients that are either funded from baseline commissioning or from the CDF.

Thyroid Cancer: Drugs

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to consider providing interim funding for innovative treatments for patients with radioactive-iodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer where there are treatments available but they are yet to be reviewed by NICE.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) already provides access to sorafenib as a treatment option for the systemic therapy of locally advanced or metastatic differentiated radioiodine-refractory thyroid cancer. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been asked to develop technology appraisal guidance on the use of sorafenib and lenvatinib for this indication. NHS England published its new standard operating procedure for the CDF in July 2016 and a copy is attached. NHS England has advised that it considered carefully the issue as to which drugs should be given interim funding and concluded, with the support of the majority of stakeholders, that interim funding should only be possible for those drugs that had been granted a marketing authorisation and were in receipt of a draft positive appraisal recommendation or a draft recommendation for use within the CDF from NICE.



CDF SOP
(PDF Document, 380.63 KB)

Thyroid Cancer: Drugs

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that patients suffering with radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer are not denied treatment due to the timeframes applied by NHS England for access to the new Cancer Drugs Fund.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England has advised that systemic therapy is available for patients with radioiodine-refractory thyroid cancer through the continued funding of sorafenib for this indication via the Cancer Drugs Fund. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has been asked to develop technology appraisal guidance on the use of sorafenib and lenvatinib for this indication.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 13 July (HL1006), whether they have any plans to monitor private access to (1) Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) from clinics within England, and (2) generic versions of Truvada for PrEP online from overseas.

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risks to individual and public health of significant numbers of individuals accessing generic versions of Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis online from overseas.

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether individuals using generic versions of Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) obtained online from overseas can access free at the point of need the appropriate monitoring and tests that are required, including as necessary tests for the pharmacological efficacy of the generic drugs they are taking, even though Truvada for PrEP has not been commissioned by NHS England.

Lord Prior of Brampton: It would not be possible or practical to monitor how individuals choose to access medicines or services outside of the National Health Service or to assess the impact on that individual. Registered pharmacies that operate online and that may supply drugs for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are the responsibility of the General Pharmaceutical Council. We are aware that some local authority commissioned sexual health services are offering monitoring of the pharmacological efficacy of generic PrEP however this is a matter for local decision.